Under the floodlights of DY Patil Stadium, history was written — not just by the Indian women’s cricket team, but by a man who had waited a lifetime for this moment. As India lifted its first-ever ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, one quiet figure in the dugout finally stepped out of the shadows that he had lived in for decades.

Amol Muzumdar — the eternal “next man in” — had finally arrived.

More than three decades ago, at the fabled Shardashram English School, a young right-hander sat padded up as Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli batted on and on, stitching together their world-record 664-run partnership. Muzumdar never got to face a single ball that day. That moment became a metaphor for his life — always waiting for his turn, always ready, yet never called to the crease of destiny.

Run ma

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